Change speed gear



Aug. 21, 1934. A. MAIER 1,971,045

CHANGE SPEED GEAR Filed July 28, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E L- OJ- g- 1934- A. MAIER 1,971,045

I CHANGE SPEED GEAR Filed Jul 28, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fiz a v.2

//////////I///I//I//III//4 YIIIIIIIIIII/II/I/II Patented Aug. 21, 1934 1,971,045

CHANGE SPEED GEAR Albert Maier, Friedrichshafen, Germany, as-

signor to Zahm-adfabrik Friedrichshafen Aktiengesellschaft, Friedrichshafen, Germany Application July 28, 1933, Serial-No. 682,560 In Germany August 29, 1932 1 Claim. (Cl. 74'59) My invention relates to change speed gears, ternal teeth 53 within the bore of shaft 1. In especially to gears of this kind which are pmthe drawings the teeth are represented as being vided with a free-wheeling mechanism allowing out of engagement with each other, but if shaft for the driven shaft to overrun the driving shaft. 3 is shifted to the right these teeth come into 5 In gears of this kind it is necessary to provide engagement and direct driving connection exmeans for blocking the free-wheeling mechanism ists between shafts 1 and 2. There is a third whenever it is intended to reverse the driving position for shaft 3, that is when shifted to the gear for the purpose of having the vehicle go left so as to cause engagement between the inbackwards. To this end special clutches and ward teeth of gear '7 and the outward teeth of 10 the like are generally applied. shaft 3 at its right hand end. In all three of According to my invention it is not necessary these positions of shaft 3, the middle one, as to provide such special clutches, but the shafts shown in the drawings, and the two end posiin the change speed gear are so constructed and tions, the outward teeth of shaft 3 at the right arranged that it is possible to reverse the outhand end are in driving engagement with the 15 going shaft in spite of a free-wheeling mechainternal teeth of ring 32 of the free-wheeling nism being inserted in the gear case. Consemechanism. As the gears 5, 6 and '7 are loosely quently, my change speed gear is comparatively surrounding the shafts they do not even run compact and considerably lighter than other conidle but are at a stand still whenever there is structions for the same purposes. direct driving connection between shafts 1 and 2.

20 In a change speed gear according to my inven- For the purpose of connecting one or the other tion the reversing shaft is made shiftable axially of said gears to the shaft it belongs to there are and one of its gears is adapted to come into sleeves 20 and 21, respectively splined to shafts 1 direct engagement with a corresponding gear and 2, respectively, and, having outward teeth on the outgoing shaft, the free-wheeling mechaadapted to engage with inward teeth 8, 9 and 10 nism being situated inside of the latter gear. within gears 5, 6 and 7, respectively. Further- Besides I provide a shiftable shaft portion in the more, laminated friction clutches 11, 12, 13, 14 main shaft train adapted to cause direct driving and 15 are provided inside of said gears for the connection between the driving and the driven purpose of equalizing the speeds of the parts to shaft, which are in alignment with each other be connected before they are finally coupled. 30 andwhich are loosely surrounded by their gears, These clutches are operated by the respective there being means of known design and construcsleeves, being shifted by means of bars or bolts tion for connecting and disconnecting these gears 18 which are resiliently connected to the sleeves to and from their shafts. by means of balls 19 or the like being under spring Having given a general description of my inpressure. If the shifting force on the sleeves ex- 35 vention I now want to point it out more in deceeds acertain limit the connection to the bolts 18 tail referring to the drawings which represent is interrupted because the balls 19 are pressed an example embodying my invention. backwards against the spring pressure out of the Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through a four recesses in the bolts 18,, so that the friction speed change speed gear. clutches are automatically released just before 40 Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line II-II the sleeve and the gear to be coupled are finally of Fig. 1 seen towards the leftrwhereas in engagement. Shaft 3 has longitudinal splines Fig. 3 is a cross section taken", on line IHI[I which serve for causing clutch plates 15 to rotate of Fig. 1 seen towards the right. together with the shaft as well as for lodging The incoming or driving shaft 1 is in alignbars 18; consequently shifting of shaft' 3has no 45 ment with the outgoing or driven shaft 2. There influence on the friction clutches and their opis an intermediate shaft 3 adapted to be "shifted erating means. axially by means of forked arm 37 connected The free-wheeling mechanism between shaft 2 to striker rod 38. The left hand end of shaft 3 and shaft 3 comprises an inner element 32 havxt nds int a b f aft 1, w as its ri ht ing internal teeth adapted to co-operate with the 50 hand end is surrounded by a free-wheeling mechexternal teeth of shaft 3 and being provided with anism 3 3 he inner ring 32 Of w ich is. inclined step surfaces 33 on its outer circumfersplined to shaft 3 in such manner that shaft 3 ence. The outer element 31 ismade integral with is shiftable inside thereof. The left' hand end shaft 2. Rollers 34 are inserted between the outer of shaft 3 is provided with external teeth 54 and the inner elements, and ring member 35 is 55 adapted to come into engagement with the in-.- provided for preventing the rollers 34 from being shifted sideways out of theirposition. The outer element 32 on its outer circumference is provided with external teeth 29 adapted to engage with gear 27 which forms part 'of the reversing'shaft 28. Thisshaft has a second gear 26 fixed thereto, and if shaft 28 is shifted to the right by means of lever 49 and striker rod 41 gear 26 gets into engagement withgear on lay shaft 22 and at the same time gear 27 meshes with the teeth 29 of the free-wheeling device. Consequently, in this position shaft 2 is reversed.

In the first speed gear 5 is connected to shaft 1 by shifting sleeve 20 to the left and gear 7 is connected to shaft 3 by shifting-this shaft to the left. Gear 5 then drives gear 23011 the lay shaft 22 and" gear 25 drives gear 7. v

In the second speed sleeve 20 is shifted to the right so as to connect gear 6 to shaft 1, shaft 3 is shifted back to its middle position, as in the drawings, and sleeve 21 being also shifted to the right causes connection between shaft 3 and gear '7. Consequently, gear 6 drives gear 24 on the lay shaft 22 and gear 25 drives gear '7.

In the third speed sleeve 20 is moved backwards into its left end position again connecting gear 5 to shaft 1 and at the same time sleeve 21 is also shifted to the left so as to connect gear 6 to shaft 3. Thus, now gear 5 drives gear 23 on the 'lay shaft and gear 24 drives. gear 6.

For attaining direct drive sleeves 20 and 21 are shifted into their median idle positions by shifting' them to the right and simultaneously shaft 3 is also shifted to the right thereby causing teeth 53 and 54 to come into-engagement so that now all three main shafts 1, 3 and 2 are directly coupled.

all of the gears being out of driving connection and not rotating at all. This means a great advantage, asthere is the least resistance and the least noise.

I do not want to be limited to the details described or shown in the drawings, as many variations will occur to those skilled in the art.

WhatIcla'imiszy A change speed gear comprising adriving shaft, a driven shaft, an intermediate shaft, said three shafts being substantially in alignment; a lay shaft parallel to said first mentioned shafts; gears loosely surrounding said driving shaft and said intermediate shaft; means for connecting and disconnecting said gears to and from said driving' and said intermediate shafts, respectively; gears on said lay shaft adapted to engage with said first mentioned gears; coupling means on said driving shaft for connection with said intermediate shaft, coupling means on said intermediate shaft adapted to co-cperate with said coupling means on said driving shaft on adequate shifting of said intermediate shaft; means for shifting said intermediate shaft; and a one-way driving connection between said intermediate shaft and said driven shaft.

. ALBERT MAIER. 

